On Friday, there were reports that the Sudanese government was stepping up its military presence in Kordofan amid concerns that the JEM rebels were preparing an attack. The JEM denied this at the time, but it looks like that is exactly what they had in mind:

Hundreds of rebels from war-ravaged Darfur clashed with Sudanese security forces on the doorstep of the capital Saturday in a dramatic widening of the five-year-old conflict.

It was the first foray into the seat of the Sudanese government by a rebel group once confined to the western region, which is deeply scarred by the struggle between the ethnic African rebels and the Arab-dominated central government.

The country’s interior minister said government forces successfully “chased” away the rebels by nightfall, about three hours after the first outbreak of violence, and killed a rebel leader and his aide. State television showed footage of the fighters in handcuffs and soldiers driving confiscated jeeps through empty streets, saluting colleagues standing at attention.

But a rebel leader denied his fighters suffered heavy casualties and said some took up positions inside Khartoum, while others remained in its twin city, Omdurman.

“They will continue their mission,” rebel spokesman Ahmed Hussain told The Associated Press. “They successfully destroyed a lot of tanks.”

TV footage showed burning trucks, smoke billowing over Omdurman and at least two bodies sprawled in a dusty street and slumped in the front seat of a convertible jeep.

“I saw dead people in the streets and cars burned,” said Hatem, an Omdurman resident who refused to give his last name fearing government reprisal. He said most of the victims wore turbans distinctive to rebel areas.

As a result, Khartoum has now cut off ties with Chad, accusing the Chadian government of backing the rebels responsible for the attack (of course, it should be noted that Khartoum has long backed rebels in Chad like the ones who attacked N’Djamena earlier this year):

Sudan cut ties with neighboring Chad and threatened retaliation on Sunday after accusing it of helping train the rebels who attacked a suburb of Khartoum.

“These forces came from Chad. They were trained and are supported by Chad,” President Omar al-Beshir said.

“Therefore we hold the Chadian regime fully responsible for what happened and maintain our right to respond to this crumbling regime which does not represent the will of the Chadian people.”

Al Beshir said the Sudanese and the Chadians had always considered themselves “one nation divided by the colonialists.”

“But now,” he said, “we are forced to sever diplomatic relations with this outlaw regime and maintain our right to respond to this regime.”